USA > New York > Westchester County > Manual of Westchester county.Past and present. Civil list to date 1898 > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30
203
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
years, and who had declined re- election on account of ill health. Mr. Millard has been re-elected each year since. He has represent- ed his party in local, county, ju- dicial, Congressional, State and na- tional conventions. The first office to which he was elected was that of Town Clerk, then followed his elec- tion as Supervisor in 1892, the first Republican ever elected Supervisor in the town of Greenburgh. He was subsequently appointed coun- sel to the Town Board, to the Board of Assessors, to the Board of High- way Commissioners of both the towns of Greenburgh and Mount Pleasant, to the Excise Board, to the Board of Health, to the Tarry- town Village Board of Trustees, and to various village boards; Counsel for the town of Mount Pleasant, counsel for the County Superintendent of the Poor; was elected a member of the Tarrytown Board of Education, trustee and counsel for the Westchester County Savings Bank. He was for eight years foreman of Hope Hose Com- pany No. 1, of Tarrytown, and is chairman of the Board of Directors of the Exempt Firemen's Associa- tion, and assistant engineer of the department; is president of the Young Men's Lyceum. He is also a member of Solomon's Lodge, No. 196, F. and A. M. Mr. Millard was married December 30, 1891, to Miss Grace Requa, daughter of Isaac Re- qua, of Tarrytown. Mr. Millard has always resided in his native village.
FRANK R. PIERSON.
Frank R. Pierson, Water Com- missioner and president of the Board of Education, of Tarrytown, was born in Boston, Mass., on Jan- uary 22, 1855, a son of Paul R. B. and Eliza (Romer) Pierson. He comes of good American stock, his ancestors having been closely iden- tified with the early history of this country and active on the right side during the revolutionary period. He was educated in the public schools of his native city. He be- came a resident of Tarrytown in 1866, where he is engaged in busi- ness as an importer and dealer in
plants and bulbs, and is the most extensive rose grower in the United States. As a business man he is best known. He was elected a member of the first Board of Wa- ter Commissioners of the village of Tarrytown, and served in the ca- pacity of secretary to the board. He continued in that office until pressure of business compelled his resignation. As a member of the local Board of Education he has been of valuable service. As pres- ident of that body he was able to assist materially in formulating plans for the construction of new school buildings much needed. The Washington Irving High School building just completed in Tarry- town is due greatly to his untiring zeal and persistent effort. The building has been pronounced by the State authorities to be one of the best-equipped institutions for school purposes in the State. Mr. Pierson is one of the original mem- bers of the Tarrytown Improve- ment Society. He has been for years president of the Board of Trustees of Asbury Methodist Epis- copal Church. He is a charter member of Hope Hose Company, Tarrytown, and has been fifteen years an active member of same. In politics Mr. Pierson is a Repub- lican.
FREDERICK A. RUSSELL.
Frederick A. Russell, Treasurer of the village of Tarrytown, was born at Marion, N. Y., on January 24, 1855, a son of Giles B. and Maria A. (Holcomb) Russell. He was ed- ucated at Marion Collegiate Insti- tute and Eastman's Business Col- lege. In 1874 he removed to the town of Greenburgh, where he has continued to reside. He was mar- ried in 1875 to Miss Mary A. Brown, daughter of George Brown, of Pal- myra. Mr. Russell is an active Re- publican and as such he was ap- pointed as Drug Appraiser in the New York Custom House in 1890 and served four years. He has served two years as Village Treas- urer. Mr. Russell entered the drug business as an apprentice when 12 years of age, and has been engaged almost continuously in it since that
204
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
time. Served as clerk in Palmyra and Yonkers, and in 1875 estab- lished a store at Irvington, N. Y., as proprietor, remaining there eleven years. In March, 1894, en- gaged in business at Tarrytown as a member of the firm of Russell & Lawrie. Mr. Russell's long and practical business experience, cou- pled with his personal popularity and high character, earned among a critical community to which he came an entire stranger, has added much to the success of his firm. This was attested when he unwill- ingly accepted a nomination for village Treasurer, and was elected 'over his opponent, who had held the office for fifteen years, and again the next year when he was re-elected, and was the only one on his ticket thus honored.
EDWIN A. STUDWELL.
Edwin A. Studwell, president of the Health Board, village of Tarry- town, was born in South Salem July 22, 1837, a son of Edwin and Eliza (Hull) Studwell. His father, who is still living at the age of 95 years, is a lineal descendant of Thomas Studwell, who, with three others, purchased in 1660 from the
Dutch West Company
India a greater part of what is now the town of Rye, and of William Mead, who came to this country in 1640, and settled near Green- wich, Conn. On his mother's side his connections are equally illus- trious, his grandfather and other relatives having fought in the early Indian wars and for American in- dependence. In 1857 Mr. Studwell left his father's farm to seek a for- tune in New York city. He became identified with an extensive shoe manufacturing and jobbing busi- ness. As is quite natural, he in early life took to politics, identi- fying himself with the abolition movement. As a member of the "Home Guards" he assisted in pro- tecting the New York Tribune office, Plymouth Church and the home of Henry Ward Beecher, dur- ing the riots in 1863. In 1866 he was an advocate of woman's suf- frage and became prominent in all movements organized to advance that cause. In 1866 he became pub-
lisher of the official organ of the radical branch of the Hicksite Friends. After the close of the civil war Mr. Studwell became in- terested in the reorganization of the Southern States, his business interests in the State of Florida ac- quainting him with what he con- sidered to be the wants of the South. To his organization is said to be due the credit of the Repub- licans controlling for a long time the State of Florida. In 1868 he was chosen a Grant Presidential Elector from the Third Congres- sional District (Brooklyn) of New York. In 1871 he assisted in or- ganizing the National Bureau of Migration, with Horace Greely as president, Gen. Franz Sigel as chairman of Executive Committee and himself as chairman of the Finance Committee. In 1872 he founded a town on the St. John's River, naming it in honor of Henry Ward Beecher. In 1872 he was elected a delegate from Florida to the National Convention of the Lib- eral Republican party, which nomi- nated Horace Greely for President. He was president for twelve years of the Florida Improvement Com- pany. He became active as a mem- ber of the Anti-Saloon Republican League. In 1884 he removed from Brooklyn to Tarrytown. In 1886, at the organization of the Pocantico Water Company, he became its president, and under his adminis- tration, during three years, water was introduced into the villages of North Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry and Hastings. He was instrumental in having the first Republican League organized in the United States- that is the Greenburgh Republican League, still in existence. Mr. Studwell, on September 23, 1862, was married, by the Friends' cere- mony, to Miss Mary Brown Mer- ritt, daughter of John J. and Han- nah Brown Merritt, of Brooklyn; she died October 5, 1873. He was remarried December 15, 1876, to Miss Emeliza Close, daughter of Jo- seph B. Close, of Bayonne City, N. J., but formerly of New York city. Her father's family settled near Greenwich, Conn., early in the six- teenth century, but removed to North Salem prior to the revolu- tion.
205
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
FREDERICK E. WEEKS.
Frederick E. Weeks, Assistant District Attorney of the county, was born in the town of Mount Pleasant on October 6, 1870, a son of Abel and Elmira F. (Miller) Weeks. He was educated in the North Tarrytown Public School and subsequently studied law, graduat- ing from the New York University Law School. He removed with his parents to the adjoining village of Tarrytown about 1888, where he at present resides. He took an early interest in politics, connecting him- self with the Republican party, and this fact, associated with the fact that he was capable of filling the position, secured for him the ap- pointment to the office of assistant to District Attorney George C. An- drews, in January, 1896. Mr. Weeks had for some time been a member of the Seventy-first Regi- ment, N. Y. S. N. G., before war had been declared between the United States and Spain. When his regiment received marching orders he resigned his position and re-
ported to his regiment for duty as a good soldier, which he has proven himself to be. He was urged by friends not to enlist for the war with his regiment, on the ground that his health, then none the best, would not permit his undergoing the hardships and fatigues of army life, and endeavored to prove to him that on account of physical disability he could not be required or expected to enlist with his reg- iment. In spite of this he, accom- panied by a younger brother, went to the front, took part in the battles fought at Santiago de Cuba, was commended for bravery displayed, and came home broken in health and promising to be an invalid for some time to come. He has for a long period been an official and prominent in Conqueror Hook and Ladder Company, of Tarrytown; is a member of Solomon's Lodge, No. 196, F. and A. M .; a member of Westchester Lodge, I. O. O. F., and member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics. He is un- married. 1
TOWN OF HARRISON.
Prior to 1702 this town was a part of the town of Rye, and be- came a separate town organization March 7, 1788. It is bounded on the north by North Castle, east and southerly by Rye, west by Ma- maroneck, White Plains and North Castle; the south line of the town is about one mile from the Sound, and the northeast corner touches upon the west line of Connecticut; is distant thirty miles from New York City. The town can be readily reached by way of White Plains, on the Harlem Railroad, as it is only three miles dis- tant east of the latter place, or from Harrison Station, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
The town derives its name from John Harrison, who became owner of the land, on which the town was erected, by purchase from the Indians in 1695. The town was oftentimes called "The Pur- chase" and "Harrison's Precinct." Records tell little about John Harrison's history previous to the investment which deprived Rye of much of its cherished land.
The surface of the town is mostly level; soil loam, fertile and
206
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
well-cultivated, drained by Blind Brook (Mockquams) and Mamar- oneck River, running south into Long Island Sound. Some of the finest farms in Westchester County may be found in this town, as well as some of the most handsomely laid out country seats.
According to the town's record, the first town meeting was held April 2, 1776, when Samuel Haviland was chosen Supervisor, to- gether with other officials. The next meeting of the electors in Harrison's Precinct, held April 1, 1783, elected Isaac Maynard Supervisor. Names of Supervisors who follow will be found on another page. The present town officers are: Supervisor, George T. Gray, post office address White Plains; Town Clerk, Frank P. Coxe, Harrison Station; Collector of Taxes, Michael H. White, Pur- chase; Assessors, James H. Hyatt, Albert Sutton and Nicholas E. Burger; Justices of the Peace, Emmett S. Crowe, Harrison, August C. Beyer, White Plains, John C. Haviland, Rye, Andrew Garrett, White Plains; Commissioners of Highways, David M. Haviland, Harrison, Frederick P. Schmaling, Port Chester, Isaac Carpenter, White Plains. The Supervisor, Town Clerk, Justices of the Peace and Citizen Member George T. Burling composed the Board of Health; Health Officer, L. E. Peeler, M. D.
According to the census enumerations made in the several years the population of this town was as follows: In 1830, 1,085; 1835, 1,016; 1840, 1,139; 1845, 1,039; 1850, 1,262; 1855, 1,271; 1860, 1,413; 1865, 1,380; 1870, 787; 1875, 1,431; 1880, 1,494; 1890, 1,485.
TOWN OF LEWISBORO.
This town was first organized as Salem, under the act of March 7, 1788. The name was changed to South Salem April 6, 1806, and again changed to Lewisboro on Feb. 13, 1840. The title of South Salem was given to distinguish it from the northern town of similar name. The last change was made in honor of John Lewis, who, in 1840, gave the sum of $10,000 to establish a fund to aid in the main- tenance of the town's public schools. That fund is still in existence and trustees to care for it are regularly chosen. Mr. Lewis died Oct. 1, 1871, and his remains are interred in the old Lewisboro Burying Ground. The town is bounded on the north by North Salem; east by the State of Connecticut; south and west by the towns of Pound- ridge and Bedford; west by Somers. Distant fifty miles from New York City.
Goldens Bridge, within the town's limits, is situated on the Harlem Railroad; South Salem is seven miles from Katonah, nearest
207
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
station, Harlem Railroad; Lewisboro and Cross River are also reached by way of Katonah.
Like neighboring towns, Lewisboro formerly belonged to the Province of Connecticut. In this town Major Andre found a tem- porary prison shortly after his capture at Tarrytown. Here he wrote the letter to Gen. Washington, confessing as to who he was and the nature of the business that brought him in the locality where his capture was effected. The early history of Lewisboro is more than interesting, but limited space will not permit here of lengthy historical reviews.
The town's population as given by census enumerations was in 1830, 1,537; in 1835, 1,470; in 1840, 1,619; in 1845, 1,514; in 1850, 1,608; in 1855, 1,775; in 1860, 1,885; in 1865, 1,653; in 1870, 1,601; in 1875, 1,508; in 1880, 1,612; in 1890, 1,417.
The greater portion of the town is composed of most desirable farm land, where fruit and all kinds of farm products thrive abund- antly. Its water supply is ample.
A fair average estimated value of land per acre is said to be $45. The town has no indebtedness. The town's assessed valuation, this year, is: Real, $853,141; personal, $183,885. The rate of tax this year is $6.99 per $1,000. Property sold for unpaid taxes at auction is bought usually by private individuals. Back taxes are payable to the Supervisor.
The town has no lawyers among its residents. The physicians are Dr. W. H. Stowe, Cross River, and Dr. J. H. Churchill, South Salem. There are no banking institutions in the town.
Members of the Town Board also act as members of the Health Board and of the Board of Auditors. Dr. W. H. Stowe is Town Health Officer.
The postmasters in the town are: George Bennett, Goldens Bridge; William Moore, Cross River; Henry E. Johns, Lake Wacca- buc; Stephen G. Seymour, Lewisboro; Rufus R. Smith, Vista; George Lawrence, South Salem.
The churches in the town are the Methodist at Goldens Bridge, Baptist and Methodist at Cross River, Presbyterian and Episcopa- lian at South Salem, Methodist and Baptist at Vista.
The first record of a town meeting held in the town is that of the one held April 2, 1751, when Jacob Wall was named for Super- visor, together with other town officers.
The present officers of the town are: James F. Lawrence, Su- pervisor, South Salem; Frederick Howe, Town Clerk, Cross River; Collector of Taxes, Ezra B. Scofield, Poundridge; Justices of the
208
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
Peace, Samuel H. Lawrence, Cross River; C. C. Green, Goldens Bridge; Stephen G. Seymour, Lewisboro; Assessors, Stephen Hoyt, South Salem; Jared E. Mead, Lake Waccabuc, and Cyrus Bishop, Lewisboro.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
SAMUEL H. LAWRENCE.
Samuel H. Lawrence, a Justice of the Peace, of Lewisboro, was born in that town on November 2, 1844, a son of George W. and Marietta (Hull) Lawrence. He was educated in the public schools of his native town and became engaged in the occupation of a farmer. He has al- ways resided at Cross River. On October 18, 1876, he was married to Miss Anna LeCount, daughter of Walter L. and Frances S. LeCount, of New Rochelle. Mr. Lawrence has for years taken an active inter- est in politics, associated with the Republican party. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1894; was a Commissioner of Highways for twelve years and Town Clerk for five years. George W. Lawrence, the father of the subject of this sketch, was an influential citizen of the town, and Captain Samuel Lawrence, the grandfather, at an early age, joined the American Army and fought in the revolution, taking part in the Battle of White Plains and in other engagements. He remembered the burning of Young's House, near Elmsford, dur- ing the Battle of White Plains, as he was a witness of the scene.
FREDERICK HOWE.
Frederick Howe, Town Clerk of the town of Lewisboro, was born in Lewisboro on October 28, 1832, a son of Jeremiah and Lucy (Mead) Howe. His father served eight years as Supervisor and fifteen years as Town Clerk of the town of Lewisboro. His grandfather, Jere- miah Howe, wasa soldier in the war of 1812, and his great grandfather won distinction in the revolution- ary war. On the maternal side he is a descendant of William Mead, who came to this country in 1640. Mr. Howe was educated in the pub- lic school of South Salem. Was married on November 10, 1874, to Miss Mary E. Morton, daughter of Oscar and Amelia F. Morton, of New York city. Since he became a voter Mr. Howe has been a Repub- lican. He has held the office of Town Clerk twenty-two years, the office of Trustee of the Lewis School Fund for twenty-four years and has been a member of the Town Health Board twenty-two years.
TOWN OF MAMARONECK.
This town was organized under the general act in 1788. It was formerly a part of the Manor of Scarsdale. It is bounded, ac- cording to description at time of organization, on the south by New Rochelle, east by Long Island Sound, north by the Mamaroneck River, west by the town of Scarsdale. Distant twenty-one miles from New York City, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The name is of Indian origin, which interpreted means, "The place where the fresh water falls into the salt," derived
1
FREDERICK HOWE.
SAMUEL H. LAWRENCE.
209
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
doubtlessly from the fact that the fresh water of the Mamaroneck River runs into the salt water of the Sound. According to best advices, the lands at Mamaroneck were purchased by John Richbell, from the Indians, the Indian deed bearing date Sept. 23, 1661; Richbell was an Englishman, representing many of his countrymen who had entrusted him with a commission to purchase desirable lands for settlement and mutual benefit.
The first recorded town election was held on April 2, 1697, when Samuel Palmer was chosen Supervisor; he was at that period one of the town's most extensive property owners. At that same town meeting, William Palmer was elected Clerk and Constable; James Mott as Assessor, and Henry Disbrow as Collector and Sur- veyor of the Highways.
The town's population as given in the different census reports has been as follows: In 1790, 452; in 1800, 503; in 1810, 496; in 1814, 797; in 1820, 878; in 1825, 1,032; in 1830, 838; in 1835, 882; in 1840, 1,416; in 1845, 780; in 1850, 928; in 1855, 1,068; in 1860, 1,351; in 1865, 1,392; in 1870, 1,484; in 1875, 1,425; in 1880, 1,863; in 1890, 2,385.
The assessed valuation of real property in the town, according to the Assessors' last report, was $6,640,671; personal estate, $602,- 725. The tax rate for this year is $3.985 on $1,000, inside of the village of Mamaroneck; $3.89 on $1,000 inside of the village of Larchmont; $6.51 on $1,000 outside of villages.
The present officials of the town are: Supervisor, Charles M. Baxter; Town Clerk, John C. Fairchild; Justices of the Peace, Jo- seph H. Mclaughlin, John W. McCabe, J. P. Canty and William E. Peters; Collector of Taxes, John C. Kane; Assessors, W. H. Tilford, W. H. Lang and Nehemiah Palmer. Post office address, Mamar- oneck, N. Y.
Within the town limits are two villages, Larchmont and Ma- maroneck.
Larchmont was incorporated as a village in 1891. According to a census enumeration taken in Jan., 1898, it has a population of 711. Its present village officers are: Carsten Wendt, President; William H. Campbell and C. M. Bird, Trustees; L. S. Knevals, Clerk; A. C. Montross, Tax Collector; Joseph Bird, Treasurer.
The village of Mamaroneck, which was incorporated 1895, and which is formed of part of the town of Mamaroneck and part of the adjacent town of Rye, according to a census enumeration taken in Jan., 1898, has a population of 3,729. The present officers of the village of Mamaroneck are: President, Joseph H. Mclaughlin;
210
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
Trustees, Jacob Halstead, Daniel Warren, William J. Herlyn, Thos. C. Palmer, Joseph Gilleaudeau, and George W. Haight; Clerk of the Village, Charles W. Buckter; Receiver of Taxes, John C. Kane.
This village is connected with White Plains, the county seat, by the Tarrytown, White Plains and Mamaroneck Electric Railroad.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
WILLIAM A. BOYD. 4
William A. Boyd, postmaster and former Justice of the Peace of Mamaroneck, is a native of Mamar- oneck,' and was born on November 21, 1851, of American parentage. He is a son of William H. and Nancy (Nicks) Boyd. He was edu- cated in the public schools of Mamaroneck and New York city. Mr. Boyd was married on July 10, 1873, to Miss Mary Griffin, daugh- ter of James and Hester Griffin, of Mamaroneck. His wife died No- vember, 1883. On September 4, 1892, he married Miss Elizabeth Anthes, daughter of Frederick and Dorethan Anthes, of Mamaroneck. Mr. Boyd has always taken an ac- tive interest in public affairs. In politics he is a Republican. As an evidence of his popularity atten- tion may be directed to the various offices to which he has been elected from time to time. He was ap- pointed. postmaster of Mamaroneck by President Grant in 1873 and con- tinued in that office until 1885, was reappointed to the same office by President Mckinley on March 17, 1898; served as Town Clerk in 1875-76, was a Justice of the Peace from 1881 to 1897, Clerk of the Town Board of Health from 1881 to 1897, Collector of Taxes in 1887, Trustee of High School ;two years, captain of the Fire Patrol for seven years, and has been a member of the Republican County Committee, representing Mamaroneck, since 1891.
JACOB HALSTEAD.
Jacob Halstead, a Trustee of the Village of Mamaroneck, was born in the town of Harrison, in this coun- ty, on April 9, 1860; a son of David
P. and Fannie A. (Cooley) Hal- stead. Was educated at Exeter, N. H., and at the New York University and Columbia Law School. He be- gan the study of law in the offices of Winsor & Marsh, New York city, and on his being admitted to the bar, in February, 1884, accepted the position of managing clerk in the offices of Knox & Woodward, of New York city. In 1886 he entered business on his own account. His practice is general and his clientage large; has been engaged in many important cases, and is highly re- garded by judges on account of the careful attention he gives to the preparation of papers submitted in actions conducted by him. He is an easy and effective speaker and pop- ular with jurors. In politics Mr. Halstead has always acted with the Republican party, and is to-day a recognized leader of that party in the county. For several years he has served his town as a member of the Republican County Commit- tee. He has for a number of years been one of three composing the District Committee of the Second Assembly District. He has repeat- edly been sent as a delegate to State, county and local conventions of his party. Five years ago he removed from the town of Harrison to his present residence in Mamar- oneck. Took an active interest in the incorporation of Mamaroneck and Rye Neck as a village, favoring the proposition. In the spring of 1898 he was elected a Village Trus- tee. Is also a member of the Re- publican Club of New York city and a member of the Larchmont Yacht Club. Mr. Halstead was married on April 8, 1885, to Miss Clara S. Ken- worthy, daughter of Richard and Mary Kenworthy, of Poughkeepsie. They have one child, a son.
William A. Boyd. POSTMASTER
Joseph H.MsLoughlin VILLAGE PRESIDENT
Alfred M. Perrin FORMER JUSTICE
John C. Kane. TAX RECEIVER.
211
MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
JOHN C. KANE.
John C. Kane, Tax Collector of Mamaroneck, was born in Port Chester on June 27, 1854, a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Nilan) Kane. He was educated in private and public schools of Port Chester. Leaving school he became connect- ed with the bolt manufactory of Russell, Birdsall & Ward, where he remained until appointed, in 1860, as baggage master of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road, at Rye. He served ten years in the latter position and then was promoted to station agent of the same railroad at Mamaroneck, the position which he still holds. He has served eight years as Tax Col- lector of the town of Mamaroneck and was, in 1897, elected first Tax Collector of the village of Mamar- oneck and rechosen at subsequent elections. Mr. Kane is a member of Court Bonny Brook, No. 284, F. of A., and a member of the C. B. L. Society of his town. He was married January 3, 1877, to Miss Kate Maloy, daughter of Arthur and Bridget Maloy, of Rye.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.